I'm absolutely in love with the bucket bag trend that has been going on these past couple months. I think it all started with the iconic Mansur Gavriel bucket bag. I mean, it doesn't get more perfect than this bag, does it? I'm also loving this Shinola version, which is a more budget friendly option. Some of my other favorite picks are below - some as low as $30!

1. Paper dresses: I'm sure you've all heard about the 4 year old fashion designer by now? It's literally gone viral in the past week. I can't get over the cuteness. I of course am now following their Instagram account, and have literally scrolled through every single picture. Can my future daughter be this cool? So obsessed.

2. This look: Probably my favorite of the 100+ blogs I follow on a daily basis. Brooklyn Blonde seriously hits the nail on the head with every. single. outfit. I swear, I would steal her style and wardrobe if I could. I love how she pairs simple, classic pieces with a pop of color or a print. I'm DYING for this jacket (how did I now know of Rick Owens before this!?!?).

3. Andie: I hate to admit it, but the Bachelor is my Monday night guilty pleasure for sure. Oh the perks of living alone and watching trashy TV... Andie has been my favorite all season, and last episode just proved how awesome she was. Who is not voting for her to be the next Bachelorette!?

4. London Fashion Week: I follow the fashion week shows as if I were there, and the top looks from this year's London Fashion week are gorgeous. I'd say my favorite is this Burberry look - they are killing it with that dress. I love getting the daily Stylelist emails with street style and fashion show favorites. They're definitely worth signing up for.

5. Kale & Mushroom Fried Rice: I love fried rice, and I love anything involving cooked kale (because I really do hate eating it raw, but try so hard to!). This looks like the most delicious, somewhat healthy recipe, and I will for sure be trying it this weekend. This month, I've made a personal goal to eat out less and make more healthy meals.... partly because I have literally not posted a recipe since this. Yes - almost 6 months. I'll make sure to let you all know how that goes.

6. 6 Mantras: I've been big on the inspiring/uplifting books and articles lately. I know, probably a little goofy, but I swear they really do help to lift your mood and get you focused on your day. Your mind is such a powerful thing. If you think positively, and always focus on the good, life is so much brighter. MindBodyGreen is one of my favorite sites by far - best mind, body, and health articles ever.

This is for sure one of the easiest furniture DIYs I've ever attempted - and one of the prettiest. I don't know about you guys, but I'm a huge fan of Ikea hacks. Ikea furniture is usually so incredibly inexpensive and simple to put together. All you need to do is dress is up with a little paint, fabric, jewels... you name it, and the piece looks like 3 times as expensive than it really is. Below are the photos of my Ikea DIY process, which is pretty self explanatory, but I also included directions at the bottom. This whole project cost me less than $100, and I now have the exact coffee table I was lusting after for such a long time.

- Drop cloth (unless you have somewhere to spray paint where you don't need this)

The whole DIY process is pretty simple. The very first thing you need to do is put the table together (make sure you follow the ikea instructions), but stop once you get to placing the glass or screwing in the bottom shelf. Then, you spray paint - the whole entire thing. I did a couple coats for each table. While you're waiting for the to dry (and I'd wait at least 6 hours between coats), attach the contact paper to the bottom wood shelf. The contact paper has directions on the back, but all you need to do really is make sure the wood shelf is clean, detach the back of the contact paper, and stick it to the shelf. Make sure theres room on each side so that you can wrap the contact paper under/around the shelf so that it covers three out of the 4 sides (mine didn't completely cover the bottom, but that doesn't matter because you'll never see the bottom!). And that's it - pretty simple, right? This DIY was such a blast, and turned out so well. I can't wait to show you guys how I styled my coffee table... but that post will come a little later.

The Casual Classic

A blog about life, health & wellness, style, and a small shopping obsession.Written by Dana Pauly.

THE LUST LIST

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

@THECASUALCLASSIC

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

THE FINE PRINT

The Casual Classic blog was established and is written by myself. Identity & website design was created by Catalina Creative. All images on this site are taken by myself unless otherwise noted at the bottom of my posts. Feel free to use any of the material from The Casual Classic as long as you give credit by linking back to the original post. Conversely, if you feel that I have posted something that is not properly credited, please let me know and I will fix the issue immediately.

Email address, names, and personal information submitted to me in any way will never be sold or given out. I would never share your personal information without your permission. I want you guys to feel comfortable posting and interacting on my blog!

The Casual Classic is also a part of affiliate advertising programs. These companies may collect and use non-personally identifiable information (i.e. click stream, browser type, pages visited, and subject of advertisements clicked - NEVER your personal information) during your visits in order to provide advertisers about the goods and services that may be of interest to you. If you would like toopt-out of having this information used by these companies, click here.

In addition, sometimes I'll share links of retailers I support through these affiliate programs. This means that when you click on one of these product links, I will get a small commission through any purchase that you may make. Please note that not all products that I choose are linked through this program, and that this in no way influences the products I select to feature on my site. All opinions are my own - I would never feature or post about anything that I wouldn't purchase myself. All gifted products will be noted at the bottom of my posts with a c/o, and any giveaways that are sponsored will be noted as such.

Want to work with me? Please check out the "CONTACT" tab at the top of the home page.